For me, it was a pair of merrell shoes on sale. They have lasted 3+ years, have great grip in the snow and ice, and so comfortable, my feet don’t hurt after wearing all day.
Never cheap out on anything that comes between you and the ground; shoes, tires, a bed.
What have been some of your good purchases under $100?
Cheap Amazon bidet. $40 and it revolutionized my #2 experience.
What purifier did you pick up? We got one that was well recommended, and our Air Quality Monitor has basically said it’s doing nothing. It’s been pretty frustrating.
A sleep mask. I sleep much better now that all the light is blocked out. Also, if I want to, I can sleep in in the mornings when it’s bright outside and the light won’t disturb me.
I bought one with Bluetooth headphones built in. I have tinnitus and going to sleep was torture. I’d lay in the quiet room and be unable to sleep thanks to the loud ringing in my right ear. During the day, my hearing aid helps, but I take it out at night. With the Bluetooth sleep mask, I can put on white noise, drown out the ringing, and fall asleep.
As a bonus, I made a specific white noise mix for sleep and I seem to have trained my brain to have a Pavlov-type response. When that white noise goes on, my brain says “time to go to sleep” and I’m able to quickly fall asleep instead of having my brain run a mile a minute in the dark. (At least, on most nights. The Pavlov response isn’t strong enough to overcome me being stressed about something if I go to bed.)
The sleep mask with Bluetooth cost me about $30 and it was worth every penny!
Electric tooth brush. Learn to use it properly. Combine with flossing, save a lot on dental issues.
Arm sleeves (Korea brand from ebay) for driving. Keep my arms from turning into toast these days, you could also wet them to enhance cooling
Had a baby this year and I have a twofer:
- I got a used prefold + covers lot for $100. Cloth diapers seem more comfortable for the baby and they are way easier on the wallet.
- Woven wraps can be found used for $20-$80. A woven wrap is a baby wrap you can use from birth till they stop wanting to be held (35+ lbs). They are cheaper and more versatile than many structured carriers.